Anything Else I Can't Miss?

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Lumbergh21
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Anything Else I Can't Miss?

Post by Lumbergh21 »

As usual, I am vascillating between several potential hikes in the Sierra this coming year. The current leader involves me revisiting the beginnning of the High Sierra Trail, but with a shorter loop back to my car and a few side trips to see intriguing places that I missed in 2016. I plan to leave from Crescent Meadow late afternoon and hike to Mehrten Creek or Nine Mile (anyone know if they still have bear boxes at either or both sites? If they don't and I need to fit everything into my bear cannister from the beginning, my rations will be rather short for this trip.) Next up is Nine Lakes Basin with some exploring before hiking to Big Five Lakes the afternoon of Day 3. I'll retrace my steps back to the HST and camp in the Morraine Lake area, possibly to the east of the lake itself on Day 4. I'll get my weekly bath at Kern Hotsprings during the late morning on Day 5 and continue on up to Junction Meadow, camping a couple of miles up the trail along the Kern-Kaweah River. On Day 6 I'll go over Colby Pass and down to the Roaring River Ranger Station to camp for the night. Next up is Elizabeth Pass and a little side trip to Tamarack Lake to camp. I'll hike up to Lion Lake before packing camp and heading back towards the HST and the Bearpaw Meadows area with a planned camping spot near Panther Gap if there is anywhere to camp in that area. The morning of Day 9 will be a short hike out to Lodgepole where my car should be waiting for me along with food and a shower. Am I missing any short side trips that I shouldn't miss? I had thought about a shorter itinerary that included going over Lion Rock Pass to Lion Lake and Lion Pass, but that looks a little more difficult than I want based on a couple of descriptions that I have read on line and likely to include steep snow/ice when I plan on hiking at the beginning of July. With the off-trail exploring, I'll only be doing 13 to 15 miles each day, though a couple of days will involve a total of over 5,000 feet of climbing. Hopefully, I'm still up for this sort of itinerary. It's a bit less ambitious than the loop I did in 2016 in the same general area.
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Re: Anything Else I Can't Miss?

Post by wildhiker »

You can certainly camp at Panther Gap - lots of open flat areas with good views. In July, a little creeklet a couple hundred yards north of the Gap on the trail down to Wolverton should have water.

Have you been to the Tablelands already? If you haven't seen them, I'd exit that way rather than back down to HST from Elizabeth Pass. From just below Elizabeth Pass on the north side, you contour west about a mile of easy cross-country to Horn Col, then around Lonely Lake (decent camping on the low rise west of the lake) and over to Pterodactyl Pass which is your gateway to the Tablelands. Or, if coming from Roaring River, a shorter route leaves the Elizabeth Pass trail to head up to Big Bird Lake and then up the ridge to the west up to the Tablelands. Lots of Tablelands trip reports here - check them out.

-Phil
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Re: Anything Else I Can't Miss?

Post by Wandering Daisy »

What you will "miss" with a schedule of 15 miles a day is optimum lighting for photography at a lot of very scenic locations. Obviously you cannot have ideal lighting at every spot, but I usually choose the most scenic spots and then plan to camp there so I can get the morning and evening lighting. I cannot know your tastes in "scenic" but perhaps you should look again at your schedule make sure your campsites each night are what you hope for in wilderness and scenic experience. If, on the other had, you simply want to sample a lot of terrain and are not that much into photography (or fishing), then OK. Often I like to run through a large area just to "sample" it, and then go back another year and spend more time in each area I really liked. It is all a matter of personal style. I personally am not that into the long trail miles that you have proposed.

I agree that your early July timeframe may be a limiting factor. Depending on snowpack, you still could get stopped by the snow on the tunnel on the trail above Hamilton Lake. And you will be a peak runoff, so plan to wade many streams on the trail from Crescent Meadow. Getting across the Kern at Junction Meadow will also be quite a challenge. Is there any way you can delay this trip to later season? On the other hand if it turns out a dry winter, you would be OK. I did the first part of your route last of June through first week in July twice. One year there was solid snow once past Precipice Lake; the other year, no problem. In a high snow year, Colby Pass can also be snow packed on the north side and is quite steep.

As for exploring in Nine Lakes Basin, a hike up to the large lake just north of Black Keweah is very scenic, but a bit tricky. It does take some time. One year I climbed Lawson Peak (easy cl2). There is a good view from there. Also a short scramble up Mt Stewart from Keweah Gap is rewarding. You get an amazing view down to Tamarack Lake.
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Lumbergh21
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Re: Anything Else I Can't Miss?

Post by Lumbergh21 »

Thanks for the suggestions. It looks like Horn Col and Pterodactyl Pass will save me some climbing and maybe even a little distance while getting me into the Tablelands to boot.
Thanks for the general info on the snow conditions as well. I'll keep an eye on the snowpack and consider moving the trip into the late summer and doing one of my other 1 week trips in early July. I was hoping to get to the highest lake in the Nine Lakes Basin, but I don't think I'll have time for peak bagging. I may bring along a fishing rod and take a couple of hours to fish in the morning and/or evening. I really dont focus on photography though, pun intended. My goals are to see as much as I can while still having a relaxing trip with a little adventure. Based on the past 3 years, my proposed itinerary meets those goals.
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Re: Anything Else I Can't Miss?

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Lumbergh21 wrote: Tue Dec 25, 2018 12:29 am ...Am I missing any short side trips that I shouldn't miss? ...
Sure. There are many interesting places away from trails in those areas that trails pass through and one could explore to find them. That is why I am content to base camp in our high basins once reaching such remote places instead of continuing to hike all day to next ones. Many visitors obviously little value at what time of season, at what time of day, with what type of weather they experience some of these wonderful landscapes while instead being content just to have gone through and seen what they did however.

A group hikes into Thousand Island Lake at 6pm on an August day then makes camp among several others at the village on the northeast slope above the lake. The lake waters are dark blue and breezy and the two famous peaks westward, unaesthetically backlit with the sun behind them. They make camp, wander down to the lake edge to filter some water, make dinner, and spend an hour or two after sunset till turning in to their sleeping bags.

The next morning they wake up about sunrise and poke their head out of their tent to catch a few glimpses of some warm light off Banner Peak while noticing a photographer with a tripod is passing by looking about for views. But it it is chilly at 6am and they are still drowsy so roll over and go back to sleep. An hour later sun altitude is higher and now shining on their tent so within a half hour they get up and start coffee going, the only thing that matters. The photographer they noticed is walking back to a nearby camp apparently done with a 3 hour morning session of work.

After that it is a slow hour of packing gear up as they enjoy catching views in the distance across the huge lake with islands at the impressive landscape. By 9:30am they have dug 6 inch holes and hoisted their packs on to start another 9 trail hours. As they pass the icon outlet view at 10am they revel at the superb view and snap a photo or three with their smartphones. The lake itself is already somewhat breezy as the early morning reflecting lull was 2 hours earlier and the light on the snow dabbled peaks is no longer striking as it was two hours before. But who cares, what else is there to look at, as a minute later they continue on?
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Re: Anything Else I Can't Miss?

Post by c9h13no3 »

^^

That might be the snoodiest post ever.
"Adventure is just bad planning." - Roald Amundsen
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Lumbergh21
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Re: Anything Else I Can't Miss?

Post by Lumbergh21 »

SSSdave wrote: Sat Dec 29, 2018 9:40 am
Lumbergh21 wrote: Tue Dec 25, 2018 12:29 am ...Am I missing any short side trips that I shouldn't miss? ...
Sure. There are many interesting places away from trails in those areas that trails pass through and one could explore to find them. That is why I am content to base camp in our high basins once reaching such remote places instead of continuing to hike all day to next ones. Many visitors obviously little value at what time of season, at what time of day, with what type of weather they experience some of these wonderful landscapes while instead being content just to have gone through and seen what they did however.

A group hikes into Thousand Island Lake at 6pm on an August day then makes camp among several others at the village on the northeast slope above the lake. The lake waters are dark blue and breezy and the two famous peaks westward, unaesthetically backlit with the sun behind them. They make camp, wander down to the lake edge to filter some water, make dinner, and spend an hour or two after sunset till turning in to their sleeping bags.

The next morning they wake up about sunrise and poke their head out of their tent to catch a few glimpses of some warm light off Banner Peak while noticing a photographer with a tripod is passing by looking about for views. But it it is chilly at 6am and they are still drowsy so roll over and go back to sleep. An hour later sun altitude is higher and now shining on their tent so within a half hour they get up and start coffee going, the only thing that matters. The photographer they noticed is walking back to a nearby camp apparently done with a 3 hour morning session of work.

After that it is a slow hour of packing gear up as they enjoy catching views in the distance across the huge lake with islands at the impressive landscape. By 9:30am they have dug 6 inch holes and hoisted their packs on to start another 9 trail hours. As they pass the icon outlet view at 10am they revel at the superb view and snap a photo or three with their smartphones. The lake itself is already somewhat breezy as the early morning reflecting lull was 2 hours earlier and the light on the snow dabbled peaks is no longer striking as it was two hours before. But who cares, what else is there to look at, as a minute later they continue on?
Thanks for providing nothing of benefit. I really can't say how much I appreciate it. Believe it or not, 13 to 15 miles each day is not racing through and missing everything. I actually do get up with the dawn every morning and either explore the area or get on to the trail depending on where I am camped and what I feel like doing that day. You may not have read my posts above, but I acknowledge that I'm not out there to take photos. I'm out there to enjoy the outdoors for myself. That means hiking every day and enjoying the views along the way. I know, you think that sitting around camp taking the occasional photo is the only way to appreciate the Wilderness. However, some of us wish to continue along in our ignorance, hiking 8 hours a day and "only" spending a couple of hours in the middle of the day relaxing at a scenic spot and a couple of hours again at the end of the day. I'll continue hiking as I like to hike and won't tell others how wrong they are...except for you. I'll make an exception for you. You really need to get the blood flowing. Reduce your pack weight if it's too much for you to carry for 15 or more miles each day.

Let me tell you a story. It's day 3 and you get onto the Tablelands. You make camp at Lake 11,200 around 6:30, but have no time to go exploring and get some shots as the sun goes down because it's already too late. You got a few shots at Pear Lake the morning and evening of Day 2, but not the photos you were hunting for. You're tracking bigger game. You get up the next morning at dawn and let out a little shriek as the cold air slaps you in the face. But you need those dawn shots so you hike about 15 minutes from camp to get that pefect shot, but the lighting's not quite right, so you go another 10 minutes to get a different angle of a different mountain, but now the sun's in the wrong spot for this mountain too. So, you head back to camp, no photos taken because the ligting wasn't perfect or the cloud cover was wrong or it just didn't "speak to you." But, you'll get the perfect shot in the evening, so you stay camped at Lake 11,200 reading your Audubon book on birds of the Southern Sierra. At 6:00 you head off again with your camera, tripod, and three lenses to capture that perfect photo. You do take 3 shots this time before heading back to camp, but have you really seen anything?

Did I accurately portray a trip into the Sierra for you? Did I provide anything of value for you? Or, maybe I was a bit offensive? Think about that the next time you feel the urge to deride how someone else chooses to get out and enjoy the wilderness. Unless they are leaving it worse than when they arrived and interfering with someone else's enjoyment, there really is nothing to correct in how they hike. And, your way is not superior to theirs if they enjoy it.
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Re: Anything Else I Can't Miss?

Post by SSSdave »

The reason I started my post with "A group hikes into Thousand Island Lake at 6pm" was to show it was a hypothetical and not about you or your specific style since I have never hiked with you, but rather a generalized description of others I've noticed that hike through utterly spectacular areas and are content for a limited level of experience just on or near trails. As though at least some seem to to think that is about all there is that is worthwhile. In hindsight I should have more explicitly indicated this was NOT about you since as someone that has posted for years on this board, I am quite aware you don't fit the picture I posed.

Your post heading "Anything Else I Can't Miss?", tends to tersely reflect one can hike these areas on trails and with just a few side excursions enjoy most of what is worth experiencing. On that point I disagree as I have posted in the past on this board as these areas have much more to offer if one explores. And that again is a generalized statement and not anything to do with your personal style. Nothing wrong with hiking the limited way I hypothetically posed if that is satisfying for intents expected, however depending on one's interests, there can be much more.
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Re: Anything Else I Can't Miss?

Post by Wandering Daisy »

If you postpone a bit, you could go to the Meet-up on Glacier Ridge!

If you do go early season, you can avoid a lot of the stream wading by going in from Wolverton via Panther Gap instead of Crescent Meadows. Because of the up and down nature of the trail from Crescent Meadows, the increased elevation gain from Wolverton is not that much. Not sure why, but I have always been able to make better time via Panther Gap than from Crescent Meadows. And that way, you would also loop directly back to your car from the Tablelands if you choose to go back via Pear Lake instead of Moose Lake. The shuttle to Crescent Meadow from Wolverton is quite slow. If you wanted to camp first night at Mehrten Creek, you would have to backtrack a small distance.

Several times, even when carrying a heavy pack full of climbing gear, I was able to get to Hamilton Lake in one long day. You can also camp below Hamilton Lake if you want to avoid the crowds. Not sure where you are driving from, but there is a patch of FS land that is on my way from Sacramento, and you can disperse-camp there. Logistics for me are pretty tight to drive down, get my permit and get to Mehrten Creek all in the same day. However, often one can get a same-day permit late in the day when someone does not show up.

In my opinion, Big Bird Lake is a "not to miss" location. It is a pretty quick (but tricky) day-hike from the Elizabeth Pass trail.
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Re: Anything Else I Can't Miss?

Post by Lumbergh21 »

Thanks again WD. Yep, I had already decided to change my starting point to Wolverton, but more because I've already hiked in from Crescent Meadows back in 2016. I live about 150 miles north of Sac, so I'll be leaving home around.6 am to get to the permit office at 1 and hopefully hit the trail by 2. In 2016 I didn't get to Crescent Meadows until almost 5 and still got within 1 mile of Mehrten Creek by sunset. So, if I can get on the trail from Wolverton by 2 Mehrten Creek would be the minimum, fall back campsite. I think there's a bear locker just before bearpaw that I could use for my "extra" food if I feel certain that I can make it that far. I'll confirm with the ranger before I head down where there are still active bear lockers and cut back on food if I have to. I think that I'll end up just viewing Big Bird Lake from above. It looks a little too tricky for me. Since I dont have time for everything, I need to cut somewhere. I saw the SHT meetup, but it won't work for me this year. I'll keep it in mind though.
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